In 2010, North Carolina adopted the Common Core standards in Mathematics and English Language
Arts. (See www.commoncore.org )The Common Core standards focus on development of critical
thinking, developing reasoned arguments, using evidence to support positions, and using various other
21st Century skills in authentic contexts. North Carolina has also adopted the NC Professional Teaching
Standards that mandate what teachers need to know and be able to do in 21st Century schools. These
standards dictate new roles for teachers in their classrooms and schools, including but not limited to
the ideas that teachers facilitate instruction and encourage all students to discover knowledge and
communicate ideas. Technology has changed access to information. Previously it was limited or scarce,
only found in resources that teachers owned or borrowed, and now it is abundant through the use of
information and communications technologies. Access to more information allows students to learn
at a higher level which leads to personal productivity, a 21st Century skill stated in the Common Core
standards. The standards also contain an increased focus on integration of core subjects and problem
solving using real world application. These standards change the way education has traditionally been
experienced.
In 2010, North Carolina adopted the Common Core standards in Mathematics and English Language
Arts. (See www.commoncore.org )The Common Core standards focus on development of critical
thinking, developing reasoned arguments, using evidence to support positions, and using various other
21st Century skills in authentic contexts. North Carolina has also adopted the NC Professional Teaching
Standards that mandate what teachers need to know and be able to do in 21st Century schools. These
standards dictate new roles for teachers in their classrooms and schools, including but not limited to
the ideas that teachers facilitate instruction and encourage all students to discover knowledge and
communicate ideas. Technology has changed access to information. Previously it was limited or scarce,
only found in resources that teachers owned or borrowed, and now it is abundant through the use of
information and communications technologies. Access to more information allows students to learn
at a higher level which leads to personal productivity, a 21st Century skill stated in the Common Core
standards. The standards also contain an increased focus on integration of core subjects and problem
solving using real world application. These standards change the way education has traditionally been
experienced.